Search
Search results
Midge (525 KP) rated The Girl in the Corner in Books
Jan 13, 2019 (Updated Jan 13, 2019)
Very relatable (2 more)
Compelling, mature and thought-provoking
Great depth and plenty of humour
A Very Enjoyable Read - 4 Stars ! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was excited to read this latest novel by Amanda Prowse, having been lured by the attractive cover design and the very relatable premise of a woman who feels the need to re-evaluate her whole life, following her husband's guilty admission of his betrayal.
In the opening chapter, we are introduced to sixteen-year-old Rae-Valentine Pritchard, who is quiet and shy, when she meets the very confident, loud and gregarious Dolly Latimer, at College. The two girls quickly become best friends and are inseparable teenagers, laughing and joking their way through life. Dolly arranges a double date for the two of them, her brother Howard and his friend, Vinnie. Rae and Howard, so in love, get married two years later.
From her modest life in the suburbs to a splendid Georgian house in North London, Rae is now a devoted wife and mother to daughter Hannah and her son, George. Following a surprise party in celebration of their silver wedding anniversary, Howard confesses to a shocking betrayal of their marital vows that totally shatters Rae. She is forced to take stock of her position as wife and mother and also her role as a general dogsbody to the Latimer family restaurant business. Will her relationship with her best friend Dolly be affected?
Rae starts to think about all her teenage dreams that she once had - training as a chef and island-hopping in Greece. Can Rae give up on her shattered marriage, live life for herself, and be the real Rae-Valentine?
The planned anniversary celebration trip to Antigua still goes ahead, however, Dolly travels with Rae, instead of Howard. Dolly's divided loyalties and a handsome and friendly, young barman are just the starts of matters becoming even more complicated. In Antigua, Rae contemplates the possibility of continuing with her marriage and what this might mean for her friendship with the enthusiastic Dolly. A reconciliation with Howard may be much more difficult than everyone thinks.
This is a wonderful story for anyone who has always felt that they were 'the girl in the corner' at every social occasion or even for just being the quiet and reserved middle child in their own family, with which I can personally identify. Amanda Prowse has a lovely writing style that captures Rae’s tormented soul beautifully. I also liked the way other issues were explored, in particular, Rae’s parents and sister, Debbie-Jo, who felt like the humble relations compared to the wealthy and successful Latimers. Howard’s betrayal is the catalyst for all of the years of unspoken emotions, forcing Rae to face her feelings of being second best in the Pritchard family.
"The Girl In The Corner" is a hugely compelling, mature and thought-provoking piece of women’s fiction. Well paced from the very beginning and quick to get into the heart of the story, the novel has great depth and plenty of humour, however, I thought the ending was slightly rushed.
Overall, "The Girl In The Corner" is a well written, emotive book about love, loss, friendship, family and following your dreams that I highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of this book.
In the opening chapter, we are introduced to sixteen-year-old Rae-Valentine Pritchard, who is quiet and shy, when she meets the very confident, loud and gregarious Dolly Latimer, at College. The two girls quickly become best friends and are inseparable teenagers, laughing and joking their way through life. Dolly arranges a double date for the two of them, her brother Howard and his friend, Vinnie. Rae and Howard, so in love, get married two years later.
From her modest life in the suburbs to a splendid Georgian house in North London, Rae is now a devoted wife and mother to daughter Hannah and her son, George. Following a surprise party in celebration of their silver wedding anniversary, Howard confesses to a shocking betrayal of their marital vows that totally shatters Rae. She is forced to take stock of her position as wife and mother and also her role as a general dogsbody to the Latimer family restaurant business. Will her relationship with her best friend Dolly be affected?
Rae starts to think about all her teenage dreams that she once had - training as a chef and island-hopping in Greece. Can Rae give up on her shattered marriage, live life for herself, and be the real Rae-Valentine?
The planned anniversary celebration trip to Antigua still goes ahead, however, Dolly travels with Rae, instead of Howard. Dolly's divided loyalties and a handsome and friendly, young barman are just the starts of matters becoming even more complicated. In Antigua, Rae contemplates the possibility of continuing with her marriage and what this might mean for her friendship with the enthusiastic Dolly. A reconciliation with Howard may be much more difficult than everyone thinks.
This is a wonderful story for anyone who has always felt that they were 'the girl in the corner' at every social occasion or even for just being the quiet and reserved middle child in their own family, with which I can personally identify. Amanda Prowse has a lovely writing style that captures Rae’s tormented soul beautifully. I also liked the way other issues were explored, in particular, Rae’s parents and sister, Debbie-Jo, who felt like the humble relations compared to the wealthy and successful Latimers. Howard’s betrayal is the catalyst for all of the years of unspoken emotions, forcing Rae to face her feelings of being second best in the Pritchard family.
"The Girl In The Corner" is a hugely compelling, mature and thought-provoking piece of women’s fiction. Well paced from the very beginning and quick to get into the heart of the story, the novel has great depth and plenty of humour, however, I thought the ending was slightly rushed.
Overall, "The Girl In The Corner" is a well written, emotive book about love, loss, friendship, family and following your dreams that I highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of this book.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated His Dark Materials in TV
Mar 3, 2020
Any fan of Phillip Pullman’s epic trilogy will tell you that His Dark Materials is one of the best stories ever told. There is so much scope to adapt and interpret the narrative, so rich are the textures, characterisation and pure weight of its many themes. Which is perhaps why any re-imagining will always come under such intense and divisive scrutiny.
The American studio version, patronisingly renamed The Golden Compass for the hard of thinking, was absolutely woeful, despite some canny casting. Choosing to focus too much on the potential of spectacular effects, rather than concentrating on the key elements of plot that make Northern Lights the perfect exposition for a much larger message.
You could always trust the BBC in conjunction with HBO not to make that same mistake. Which is why this version largely succeeds, regardless of some valid criticism concerning clunky dialogue and some creative re-arranging of events from the book. Yes, there is still a lot of telling rather than showing, in an attempt to engage an audience that have yet to read the source material; but, really, it didn’t bother me at all.
Casting Logan’s Dafne Keen as Lyra was the first stroke of genius. This girl has some serious potential, and, as the episodes unfold, she more than holds her own against more experienced actors in key roles. Her presence is a driving force from the get go that at times left me breathless at just how much she understands this complex young character. Truly exciting for the next chapter…
Of course, Ruth Wilson is more than capable of fulfilling the nuance of the sinister Mrs Coulter. And James McAvoy does an admirable job also, in a pivotal, but thankless role (for now) as Lord Asriel. But, no part is neglected, in this cast of dozens, which depends hugely on the idea of adults trying to control a world (eventually many worlds) in crisis!
The casting throughout is immensely bold – hardly a single actor matched my inner vision of them from the book, but the more I came to trust the production, the more I appreciated the clever choices made in this respect. Again, story-telling is always more important than spectacle, and episode to episode I simply began to believe in this version whole-heartedly – and I include in that all the voice actors who bring to life the demons, bears and all other CGI characters.
It is easy to gripe about what is wrong about it all. I can’t ever imagine a perfect visual re-telling of HDM that doesn’t disappoint at some level… but, more important to see what is very right about it! I felt moved, shocked, excited and elated at all the right moments! Basically, I got onboard and allowed myself to enjoy the story.
And what a story! Northern Lights exists as a phenomenon on its merits, but The Subtle Knife is where the themes of this idea really take off! Almost a year to wait for the next season… All I can say is, what an opportunity to make this one of the best things BBC has ever done.
Too many debating points for a brief summary. Keep watching is all I would say to anyone. Or perhaps I just want it too much…
The American studio version, patronisingly renamed The Golden Compass for the hard of thinking, was absolutely woeful, despite some canny casting. Choosing to focus too much on the potential of spectacular effects, rather than concentrating on the key elements of plot that make Northern Lights the perfect exposition for a much larger message.
You could always trust the BBC in conjunction with HBO not to make that same mistake. Which is why this version largely succeeds, regardless of some valid criticism concerning clunky dialogue and some creative re-arranging of events from the book. Yes, there is still a lot of telling rather than showing, in an attempt to engage an audience that have yet to read the source material; but, really, it didn’t bother me at all.
Casting Logan’s Dafne Keen as Lyra was the first stroke of genius. This girl has some serious potential, and, as the episodes unfold, she more than holds her own against more experienced actors in key roles. Her presence is a driving force from the get go that at times left me breathless at just how much she understands this complex young character. Truly exciting for the next chapter…
Of course, Ruth Wilson is more than capable of fulfilling the nuance of the sinister Mrs Coulter. And James McAvoy does an admirable job also, in a pivotal, but thankless role (for now) as Lord Asriel. But, no part is neglected, in this cast of dozens, which depends hugely on the idea of adults trying to control a world (eventually many worlds) in crisis!
The casting throughout is immensely bold – hardly a single actor matched my inner vision of them from the book, but the more I came to trust the production, the more I appreciated the clever choices made in this respect. Again, story-telling is always more important than spectacle, and episode to episode I simply began to believe in this version whole-heartedly – and I include in that all the voice actors who bring to life the demons, bears and all other CGI characters.
It is easy to gripe about what is wrong about it all. I can’t ever imagine a perfect visual re-telling of HDM that doesn’t disappoint at some level… but, more important to see what is very right about it! I felt moved, shocked, excited and elated at all the right moments! Basically, I got onboard and allowed myself to enjoy the story.
And what a story! Northern Lights exists as a phenomenon on its merits, but The Subtle Knife is where the themes of this idea really take off! Almost a year to wait for the next season… All I can say is, what an opportunity to make this one of the best things BBC has ever done.
Too many debating points for a brief summary. Keep watching is all I would say to anyone. Or perhaps I just want it too much…
CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 Exam Cram
Michael H. Valentine, Keith Barker and Andrew Whitaker
Book
Prepare for Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 exam success with this Cisco Exam Cram from...
Art Of War By Sun Tzu
Business and Education
App
We have fixed formatting issues and are re-introducing Art Of War For Free with the bug fixes. ...
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Unraveling (Unraveling, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Within the first ten pages of <i>Unraveling</i>, the main character, Janelle Tenner, dies from a runaway pick-up. A fellow student from her school, Ben Michaels, revives her and then runs off before she fully awakens. Convinced there's more than meets the eye with Ben, Janelle won't give up trying to figure out how and what he did to her and why she isn't dead, even facing her best friend's refusal to believe she died and Ben's denial of ever resurrecting her. As she pieces together that puzzle, Janelle plays detective on a case her F.B.I. agent father is working on, by rifling through top secret files and eavesdropping, that involves a mysterious countdown and people dying of radiation poisoning, which are somehow connected to the man behind the wheel of the vehicle that hit her and possibly even to Ben as well.
The author did a great job setting up the story with a slow build that introduces Janelle's life, both at home and at school, along with any free time she may have, and accelerates once it hits the halfway point until it reaches the book's climactic ending. In particular, the development of her home life was interesting and had depth. She has a mother who's bi-polar and not "there" most of the time and a father who seemingly avoids dealing with the realities of his wife's mental illness by being a workaholic, so all the household responsibilities fall on Janelle's shoulders. She takes care of her family and does the majority of the cleaning, cooking, laundry, and most importantly of all, being a mother to her younger brother, Jared. She makes sure he does his homework, has meals, and gets to school on time. What's nice about their relationship is that he actually respects his sister and there isn't much in the way of petty arguments, which was refreshing. I liked the whole interrelationships of the core family: Janelle, Jared, and their father. They all loved each other, faults and all, and even adding in the situation that Janelle's mother is in, they felt like a genuine family. Adding to that, both Alex (Janelle's best friend and my favorite character) and Struz (her dad's partner/friend) were a part of the family too. If there was anything that stood out in the book for me, it was how people related to each other in it, for good or ill. I loved Alex and Janelle's friendship, again it was really authentic, and they were just that, best friends. No romantic agenda going on, no secret one-sided yearning, only true friendship where they looked out for one another.
Janelle herself was a strong character, but not so strong she never showed her feelings. She could be quick-tempered, but usually for good reason, she stood up for herself when necessary, and was sensible, so while she could be judgmental and at times conceited, those flaws made her realistic. Nobody's perfect. The experiences she's had to live through have molded her, so every action and reaction she made made perfect sense to who she is, whether it's flying off the handle or falling into pieces. While I can't say I ever totally liked her, I understood and respected her; there aren't many YA characters I can say that about. Every character in the book had their own identity, whether they had a small role to play or a bigger one, so there was no confusion to who they were. Ben, the mysterious "stoner", is of course the love interest. He could have been more fully fleshed out, but I still got a basic idea of who he was and he's at least a nice guy, which is a novel idea these days. The love story between Janelle and Ben felt like it could actually happen that way. The chemistry between the two was well-written so the magnetic attraction between them is palpable. I remember how it is to be a teenager (scary but true), and I hate to be such a broken record, but it felt realistic. Do I think it was love? No, not yet, but they have a connection and it's a start towards something serious.
The plot is intriguing and has a lot of good ideas that generally mesh well together. Each short chapter, some less than a page long, features numbers counting down to the big event that's at the core of the novel. I'm not going to go into details since it'd be too hard to do without giving anything away, but I will say that I enjoyed how the story was told and how it unfolded. While this is sci-fi, it's light on the 'sci' part and not everything is explained as well as it could be, but hopefully the sequel will tackle some of the bigger components. Most of my complaints are trivial: the ending was rushed for an almost 450 page book, there was a passing comment about AAA that wasn't right, the phrase 'junior detective' was used just a little too much, an info dump that would have worked better as dialogue, and a couple of other inconsistencies that hopefully were caught before the final copy was printed. However, I admit to some ire at an event that happened at the end, I just didn't feel there was any need for it plot-wise and thought it total overkill. That was unfortunate but overall I still enjoyed the book cover to cover. A solid four-star book that's a cut above the rest and left me looking forward to the sequel.
The author did a great job setting up the story with a slow build that introduces Janelle's life, both at home and at school, along with any free time she may have, and accelerates once it hits the halfway point until it reaches the book's climactic ending. In particular, the development of her home life was interesting and had depth. She has a mother who's bi-polar and not "there" most of the time and a father who seemingly avoids dealing with the realities of his wife's mental illness by being a workaholic, so all the household responsibilities fall on Janelle's shoulders. She takes care of her family and does the majority of the cleaning, cooking, laundry, and most importantly of all, being a mother to her younger brother, Jared. She makes sure he does his homework, has meals, and gets to school on time. What's nice about their relationship is that he actually respects his sister and there isn't much in the way of petty arguments, which was refreshing. I liked the whole interrelationships of the core family: Janelle, Jared, and their father. They all loved each other, faults and all, and even adding in the situation that Janelle's mother is in, they felt like a genuine family. Adding to that, both Alex (Janelle's best friend and my favorite character) and Struz (her dad's partner/friend) were a part of the family too. If there was anything that stood out in the book for me, it was how people related to each other in it, for good or ill. I loved Alex and Janelle's friendship, again it was really authentic, and they were just that, best friends. No romantic agenda going on, no secret one-sided yearning, only true friendship where they looked out for one another.
Janelle herself was a strong character, but not so strong she never showed her feelings. She could be quick-tempered, but usually for good reason, she stood up for herself when necessary, and was sensible, so while she could be judgmental and at times conceited, those flaws made her realistic. Nobody's perfect. The experiences she's had to live through have molded her, so every action and reaction she made made perfect sense to who she is, whether it's flying off the handle or falling into pieces. While I can't say I ever totally liked her, I understood and respected her; there aren't many YA characters I can say that about. Every character in the book had their own identity, whether they had a small role to play or a bigger one, so there was no confusion to who they were. Ben, the mysterious "stoner", is of course the love interest. He could have been more fully fleshed out, but I still got a basic idea of who he was and he's at least a nice guy, which is a novel idea these days. The love story between Janelle and Ben felt like it could actually happen that way. The chemistry between the two was well-written so the magnetic attraction between them is palpable. I remember how it is to be a teenager (scary but true), and I hate to be such a broken record, but it felt realistic. Do I think it was love? No, not yet, but they have a connection and it's a start towards something serious.
The plot is intriguing and has a lot of good ideas that generally mesh well together. Each short chapter, some less than a page long, features numbers counting down to the big event that's at the core of the novel. I'm not going to go into details since it'd be too hard to do without giving anything away, but I will say that I enjoyed how the story was told and how it unfolded. While this is sci-fi, it's light on the 'sci' part and not everything is explained as well as it could be, but hopefully the sequel will tackle some of the bigger components. Most of my complaints are trivial: the ending was rushed for an almost 450 page book, there was a passing comment about AAA that wasn't right, the phrase 'junior detective' was used just a little too much, an info dump that would have worked better as dialogue, and a couple of other inconsistencies that hopefully were caught before the final copy was printed. However, I admit to some ire at an event that happened at the end, I just didn't feel there was any need for it plot-wise and thought it total overkill. That was unfortunate but overall I still enjoyed the book cover to cover. A solid four-star book that's a cut above the rest and left me looking forward to the sequel.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Failure to Protect (Dre Thomas & Angela Evans #4) in Books
Nov 12, 2019
I don't normally read legal thrillers, but there was something about Failure to Protect by Pamela Samuels Young that drew me in. I think it's because I was bullied as a child, but mostly because I'm a mom now. My oldest son has high functioning Autism and ADHD. He was bullied one year in school, and his school seemed to not do anything about it. Failure to Protect was a very emotional read, and I'm really glad I decided to give it a try.
The plot for Failure to Protect was solid. Nine-year-old Bailey Lewis is constantly being bullied at her school. When something major happens, Bailey's mother, Erika, decides to sue the elementary school. However, the principal, Darcella, is more concerned with keeping the school's good record intact instead of worrying about bullied students. The principal will do whatever it takes to make sure her school's stellar reputation doesn't get soiled even if it means doing some bullying herself.
Pamela Samuels Young did such a stellar job with the world building. Her knowledge of the court process and justice system is fantastic. Young is an attorney, and it's obvious she knows her stuff. Unfortunately, the subject of bullying in schools is all too real, and sadly, many schools are more worried about their reputation and all the paperwork and time a bullying case would take than actually caring about a bullied student. This fiction novel reads like a true story. There are a few plot twists which make this book even more interesting! Failure to Protect also answered every question I had. There's no speculation in Failure to Protect, and there's also no cliffhangers. This book is part of a series, but it's the first book I've read in the series, and I feel like it works as a standalone.
The pacing in Failure to Protect is done perfectly. Every single paragraph, and every single chapter flowed smoothly into the next. Not once did I want to put this book down. It had my attention throughout! I was also a fan of the short chapters which I felt helped with the pacing.
The best thing about Failure to Protect, besides everything, were the characters. Each character had such a unique personality which really helped them to feel like a real person rather than just a character in a novel. I loved little Bailey, and I just wanted to hug her and let her know that I'd protect her against her bully. It was heartbreaking reading about all she went through in her young life from losing her father not too long ago to being relentlessly bullied in school and online. I also felt horrible for her mother Erika. She also went through two horrible tragedies including one a parent should never have to go through. I was constantly in her corner, and I kept rooting for her throughout the whole bullying ordeal with the school. Erika felt like what happened to Bailey was mostly her fault, and I wanted to tell Erika that sometimes it's not easy to know everything about our children. Dre was my favorite character. I enjoyed his thought process and how passionate he was about everything. It was obvious how much he loved his goddaughter Bailey. I loved how Angela grew as a character when it came to her relationship with Erika. At first, she wasn't big on Erika, but it was obvious how much she did end up caring for her. Angela and Jenny were both fantastic attorneys, and I loved how they were willing to dedicate all their time and knowledge for Bailey's case. Darcella, the principal, was such a horrible person. Young did a fantastic job at creating Darcella to be the antagonist. So many times I was so angry with Darcella. I wanted to just shake her and ask her why she didn't do anything for Bailey. Darcella does explain why she decided to overlook the bullying, but I just wanted to know why she bothered to work in a profession dealing with children if she didn't have any empathy. I was so annoyed with Darcella. I was also annoyed with Ethan Landers, Darcella's attorney. I know he was just doing his job at the end of the day, but it wasn't easy to read about how he could just side with the enemy. Zola, Bailey's teacher, was also an interesting character. She was so conflicted about doing the right thing, and I liked reading about why she chose to do what she did. Apache, Dre's best friend, was a minor character in Failure to Protect, but he gets a mention because I loved his scenes. He was such a character, and I loved how comical he was especially when it came to helping out Dre.
Trigger warnings in Failure to Protect include bullying, racism, sexual situations (although not too graphic), suicide, death, lying, alcohol, mentions of past drug use and selling, profanity, and mentions of violence.
All in all, Failure to Protect is an emotionally well written novel. It would make a fantastic Lifetime movie - at least that's what I kept thinking whilst reading it. The story line is something that unfortunately is so commonplace in a lot of schools. I would definitely recommend Failure to Protect by Pamela Samuels Young to those aged 18+. I think this is a book that everyone should read and can relate to on at least some level. If you do decide to read Failure to Protect (which you should), please know that you'll feel a vast range of emotions!
--
(A special thank you to Pamela Samuels Young for providing me with an eBook of Failure to Protect in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
The plot for Failure to Protect was solid. Nine-year-old Bailey Lewis is constantly being bullied at her school. When something major happens, Bailey's mother, Erika, decides to sue the elementary school. However, the principal, Darcella, is more concerned with keeping the school's good record intact instead of worrying about bullied students. The principal will do whatever it takes to make sure her school's stellar reputation doesn't get soiled even if it means doing some bullying herself.
Pamela Samuels Young did such a stellar job with the world building. Her knowledge of the court process and justice system is fantastic. Young is an attorney, and it's obvious she knows her stuff. Unfortunately, the subject of bullying in schools is all too real, and sadly, many schools are more worried about their reputation and all the paperwork and time a bullying case would take than actually caring about a bullied student. This fiction novel reads like a true story. There are a few plot twists which make this book even more interesting! Failure to Protect also answered every question I had. There's no speculation in Failure to Protect, and there's also no cliffhangers. This book is part of a series, but it's the first book I've read in the series, and I feel like it works as a standalone.
The pacing in Failure to Protect is done perfectly. Every single paragraph, and every single chapter flowed smoothly into the next. Not once did I want to put this book down. It had my attention throughout! I was also a fan of the short chapters which I felt helped with the pacing.
The best thing about Failure to Protect, besides everything, were the characters. Each character had such a unique personality which really helped them to feel like a real person rather than just a character in a novel. I loved little Bailey, and I just wanted to hug her and let her know that I'd protect her against her bully. It was heartbreaking reading about all she went through in her young life from losing her father not too long ago to being relentlessly bullied in school and online. I also felt horrible for her mother Erika. She also went through two horrible tragedies including one a parent should never have to go through. I was constantly in her corner, and I kept rooting for her throughout the whole bullying ordeal with the school. Erika felt like what happened to Bailey was mostly her fault, and I wanted to tell Erika that sometimes it's not easy to know everything about our children. Dre was my favorite character. I enjoyed his thought process and how passionate he was about everything. It was obvious how much he loved his goddaughter Bailey. I loved how Angela grew as a character when it came to her relationship with Erika. At first, she wasn't big on Erika, but it was obvious how much she did end up caring for her. Angela and Jenny were both fantastic attorneys, and I loved how they were willing to dedicate all their time and knowledge for Bailey's case. Darcella, the principal, was such a horrible person. Young did a fantastic job at creating Darcella to be the antagonist. So many times I was so angry with Darcella. I wanted to just shake her and ask her why she didn't do anything for Bailey. Darcella does explain why she decided to overlook the bullying, but I just wanted to know why she bothered to work in a profession dealing with children if she didn't have any empathy. I was so annoyed with Darcella. I was also annoyed with Ethan Landers, Darcella's attorney. I know he was just doing his job at the end of the day, but it wasn't easy to read about how he could just side with the enemy. Zola, Bailey's teacher, was also an interesting character. She was so conflicted about doing the right thing, and I liked reading about why she chose to do what she did. Apache, Dre's best friend, was a minor character in Failure to Protect, but he gets a mention because I loved his scenes. He was such a character, and I loved how comical he was especially when it came to helping out Dre.
Trigger warnings in Failure to Protect include bullying, racism, sexual situations (although not too graphic), suicide, death, lying, alcohol, mentions of past drug use and selling, profanity, and mentions of violence.
All in all, Failure to Protect is an emotionally well written novel. It would make a fantastic Lifetime movie - at least that's what I kept thinking whilst reading it. The story line is something that unfortunately is so commonplace in a lot of schools. I would definitely recommend Failure to Protect by Pamela Samuels Young to those aged 18+. I think this is a book that everyone should read and can relate to on at least some level. If you do decide to read Failure to Protect (which you should), please know that you'll feel a vast range of emotions!
--
(A special thank you to Pamela Samuels Young for providing me with an eBook of Failure to Protect in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Coldest Girl in Coldtown in Books
Apr 27, 2018
There were a lot of things about The Coldest Girl in Coldtown that I liked. There was only one thing I didn’t like.
1. I liked that Vampires were both romanticized, and despicable. They were beautiful, physically, but they were ugly and awful and broken and were the worst thing to happen to the world. I liked that even though there was a love story, it wasn’t a “Turn me into a vampire so I can be with you forever” story.
2. I loved the plot. It was action packed from the first chapter, easy to follow, but still complicated. The amount of twisting and changing and plotting it must have taken is astonishing, and I have become a fan of Holly Black simply because of her artistry of working this plot.
3. I absolutely loved the protagonist, Tana. She is awesome. She is brave, kick-ass, hard working, she loves passionately in her own way, she is broken and imperfect, and she makes hard choices. She’s stubborn in a good way. She’s wonderful. I want to be like her when I grow up.
4. I liked all the characters. They were all well developed and unique. I would have liked to get to know Pearl, her sister, a little more. I would have liked more relation between Tana and Aiden pre-vampiric adventures, but all things considered, all the other characters were still awesome.
5. The writing itself was lyric, descriptive, and engrossing. It was almost impossible to put down (I only stopped because my ipod died…)
The one thing I didn’t like was the ending. It was beautiful and excellent and sweet and nerve wracking… but the very last bit, the conclusion, the “now what,” was frustrating. I didn’t know what was going to happen and that irritates me. (HGHLIGHT TEXT FOR SPOILERS: does she sweat out the cold, or not? does she stay human? or forever cold? does she age? so many unanswered questions.) I know the open ending lends itself to the feel of the novel. You know it ends one of two ways, and you know both options are equally possible. That keeps it in your mind. It makes you wonder. It lends itself to a sequel, if the publishers decide to pursue one. But it still annoyed me because I like to know what happens!
All that being said, It was an excellent book, and I would re-read/listen to it in a heartbeat.
*pun intended.
1. I liked that Vampires were both romanticized, and despicable. They were beautiful, physically, but they were ugly and awful and broken and were the worst thing to happen to the world. I liked that even though there was a love story, it wasn’t a “Turn me into a vampire so I can be with you forever” story.
2. I loved the plot. It was action packed from the first chapter, easy to follow, but still complicated. The amount of twisting and changing and plotting it must have taken is astonishing, and I have become a fan of Holly Black simply because of her artistry of working this plot.
3. I absolutely loved the protagonist, Tana. She is awesome. She is brave, kick-ass, hard working, she loves passionately in her own way, she is broken and imperfect, and she makes hard choices. She’s stubborn in a good way. She’s wonderful. I want to be like her when I grow up.
4. I liked all the characters. They were all well developed and unique. I would have liked to get to know Pearl, her sister, a little more. I would have liked more relation between Tana and Aiden pre-vampiric adventures, but all things considered, all the other characters were still awesome.
5. The writing itself was lyric, descriptive, and engrossing. It was almost impossible to put down (I only stopped because my ipod died…)
The one thing I didn’t like was the ending. It was beautiful and excellent and sweet and nerve wracking… but the very last bit, the conclusion, the “now what,” was frustrating. I didn’t know what was going to happen and that irritates me. (HGHLIGHT TEXT FOR SPOILERS: does she sweat out the cold, or not? does she stay human? or forever cold? does she age? so many unanswered questions.) I know the open ending lends itself to the feel of the novel. You know it ends one of two ways, and you know both options are equally possible. That keeps it in your mind. It makes you wonder. It lends itself to a sequel, if the publishers decide to pursue one. But it still annoyed me because I like to know what happens!
All that being said, It was an excellent book, and I would re-read/listen to it in a heartbeat.
*pun intended.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Poisoning Angel in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Some people may already know of the prolific French serial killer of the 1800s. Hélène Jégado, over a lengthy period of forty years, is thought to have murdered at least thirty-six people, most likely more, in the region of Brittany. By being hired as a cook in a wide range of establishments throughout her life gave her the opportunity to poison people through their meals, predominantly with arsenic. Jean Teulé, a French novelist, combines his own imagination with the historical statistics in order to create an insight to the tale of this infamous poisoner.
The tale begins at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Hélène is only seven years old, in the small hamlet town Kerhordevin, Plouhinec. Nicknamed Thunderflower by her mother, a name that she is often referred as throughout the narrative, she becomes fascinated with superstitious stories about Death’s henchman, Ankou. In order to extinguish her fears of this formidable character – something she later claims – she decides to become Ankou beginning with the poisoning of her own mother. Soon after she sets off on her first of many journeys to work as a cook, where her killing spree begins.
It may seem surprising that she were not caught earlier on in her murderous career, especially with entire households succumbing to their deaths, but - at least in Teulé’s telling - the Breton’s still held strong belief in their old Celtic superstitions and altered between worshipping Hélène as a saint for not dying herself, or accusing her of witchcraft and bringing misfortune wherever she went. It is not until Hélène is approaching the age of fifty that the police begin to investigate, arrest and finally send her to the guillotine.
Each chapter begins with a map, detailing Hélène’s journey through Brittany so that the reader can see just how many places she went doing Ankou’s work. Teulé also turns this disturbing historical novel into a black comedy with the inclusion of two wig makers from Normandy who happen to go where Hélène goes, although are completely unconnected to, to whom bizarre misfortunes constantly fall.
<i>The Poisoning Angel</i> is an interesting tale and absurdly fascinating at times. From time to time it could fall a bit dull with the repetitiveness, but in a way it could not be helped, as it remains a fact that Hélène Jégado poisoned a large number of people. Melanie Florence must be commended for her translation from the original French, something that is by no means an easy feat.
Some people may already know of the prolific French serial killer of the 1800s. Hélène Jégado, over a lengthy period of forty years, is thought to have murdered at least thirty-six people, most likely more, in the region of Brittany. By being hired as a cook in a wide range of establishments throughout her life gave her the opportunity to poison people through their meals, predominantly with arsenic. Jean Teulé, a French novelist, combines his own imagination with the historical statistics in order to create an insight to the tale of this infamous poisoner.
The tale begins at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Hélène is only seven years old, in the small hamlet town Kerhordevin, Plouhinec. Nicknamed Thunderflower by her mother, a name that she is often referred as throughout the narrative, she becomes fascinated with superstitious stories about Death’s henchman, Ankou. In order to extinguish her fears of this formidable character – something she later claims – she decides to become Ankou beginning with the poisoning of her own mother. Soon after she sets off on her first of many journeys to work as a cook, where her killing spree begins.
It may seem surprising that she were not caught earlier on in her murderous career, especially with entire households succumbing to their deaths, but - at least in Teulé’s telling - the Breton’s still held strong belief in their old Celtic superstitions and altered between worshipping Hélène as a saint for not dying herself, or accusing her of witchcraft and bringing misfortune wherever she went. It is not until Hélène is approaching the age of fifty that the police begin to investigate, arrest and finally send her to the guillotine.
Each chapter begins with a map, detailing Hélène’s journey through Brittany so that the reader can see just how many places she went doing Ankou’s work. Teulé also turns this disturbing historical novel into a black comedy with the inclusion of two wig makers from Normandy who happen to go where Hélène goes, although are completely unconnected to, to whom bizarre misfortunes constantly fall.
<i>The Poisoning Angel</i> is an interesting tale and absurdly fascinating at times. From time to time it could fall a bit dull with the repetitiveness, but in a way it could not be helped, as it remains a fact that Hélène Jégado poisoned a large number of people. Melanie Florence must be commended for her translation from the original French, something that is by no means an easy feat.
New York Marco Polo Handbook
Book
For advice you can trust, look no further than Marco Polo. The New York Marco Polo Handbook offers...